A DUNTOCHER-BORN author has launched her 10th book.

Emma Clapperton, who writes under the pseudonym Alex Kane, debuted her new title 'The Two Sisters' on Thursday, March 21 at Waterstones on Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow.

A crowd gathered to celebrate the event as she read parts of her new novel to the audience.

The majority of her published work falls under the gangland thriller genre and the latest book is no exception.

A sequel to her previous title 'Janey', the new story follows twins Sinead and Orla who were given up for adoption at birth.

Clydebank Post:

As adults, their lives have taken different paths. Orla’s got a big house in Glasgow, a supportive husband and teenage daughter, Molly Rose, while Sinead’s struggle with drugs and alcohol has taken her to some very dark places.

But that all changes when Sinead receives a call from the woman who gave them up at birth...

Speaking to The Post, she said: "Obviously, you've got all the legendary stuff that you see on all the crime documentary channels.

"Some of the storylines that I come up with, my publisher will say to me ‘that's so close to the bone’.

Clydebank Post:

"It fascinates me that I'm writing fiction, but it is so close to home, especially now living in Glasgow.

"People will say things like ‘you don't seem the type to write about gangland fiction’. It's definitely just creative license and fiction.

"I watch a lot of documentaries. I'm interested in some like true crime. I listen to some true crime podcasts as well so there's one called Crime Junkie’, which is based in Indiana, and they talk about a lot of missing people, cases and unsolved crimes.

"Martina Cole [true crime writer] is a big inspiration. She's been around for years and she's someone where you think, if somebody's comparing your books to hers, then you've made it."

Emma previously worked in early years childcare for over two decades before becoming a full-time author in 2022, after the birth of her daughter.

Clydebank Post:

"I spoke to a colleague just before I started writing and her husband has been writing an American gangster novel for years," she continued.

"She did not think he would ever get it finished and that sparked something in me.

"I thought ‘I really feel like giving this a go’. That was in 2010, and it took me until 2018 to get picked up by a serious publisher.

"I had a bit of a turbulent journey for publishers from the get-go. There were previous publishers who promised the world, and nothing really came of it.

"Then Hera Books [who have published all of her titles] came along and I could not be happier with them."